A Moment Of Thought
by QuietSilentWriter
Summary: In life, everyone you meet leaves you with something, sometimes without you even realizing it." A series of vignettes on the people who made Judai well...him. NEW CHAPTER: EDO PHEONIX - ASTER PHEONIX
1. The Legendary Duelist

A/N: Spent alot of time working on this. Their duel is one of my favorite and I love the passion and honesty. I couldn't do this drabble series without adding one on him. Though they don't meet often, their meeting are very important. This is my little tribute to Yami Yugi. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm trying to focus on the True Duelist idea.

Disclaimer: Unfortunatley, Kazuki Takahashi still won't sell me Yu-Gi-Oh.

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_What chance gathers she easily scatters. A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together. - __Johann Wolfgang von Goethe __(1749 - 1832)_

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He would never forget that day, and he would never forget him. But how could he? It was impossible to forget the Legendary Duelist. And though many years had passed, and many things had changed, the memory of their first meeting had not faded from Judai's mind. His fingers still felt that smooth slide along his palm and into his fingers. Judai didn't know it then, but one day that _Winged Kuriboh _would mean the world to him. One day, it would be part of how he became a true duelist. It would, Judai didn't just know it then.

But he did. The duel king did. The duel king knew. And if you looked at his eyes, you would think he knew everything. They spoke of many things. Things so complex and difficult, it seemed like a puzzle. But one thing was clear. There was some deep pain. It was the only thing that was clear. The only things those eyes gave away, and only because they couldn't help it. And for a few seconds, those eyes had focused on him. And in those moments, he didn't care about anything, the exams, the academy, or that his feet felt just about ready to fall off. He just wanted to know the answer to that puzzle. His last thought as he ran was if he ever could figure it out.

Led again by _Winged Kuriboh, _they meet four years later, four years for Judai at least. But to the man he was dueling, they've never met each other, that future meeting years away. All the duel king knew about him was through a dream. And things are different. Judai's is not the same drop out-boy the king would meet years later. He is a strong, experienced duelist with the spirit of Yubel on his side. But that's not it. The pain in his eyes that Judai noticed earlier isn't there now. And there's something about him now that isn't during their meeting later. He had the strongest duel-energy that Judai had every felt, but that's to be expected from the Legendary Duelist. It's in that one blinding moment when that transformation happens, when Yubel, not him realizes it is the Nameless Pharaoh. With the confidence, strength, and quiet power only a king could possess. Together, the duel king and Pharaoh seem almost inhuman. It was the passion that this duelist held that had inspired so many others and pulled them forward. It's in a moment during that duel that Judai realizes something. That puzzle in the Legendary Duelists eyes will never be solved, because it just isn't meant to be.

In that moment, he understands, what Yubel understood right away.

Yugi Motou is the True King of Duelists.

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_There is so little life, and it is fraught with chance. We meet, we don't meet, we take the wrong turning, and still bump into each other. We conscientiously choose the 'right road' and it leads nowhere. - __Jeanette Winterson_


	2. The Kaiser

A/N: The second in my drabble series. Hope for some reviews.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Kazuki Takahashi still won't sell me Yu-Gi-Oh.

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_Darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good. - __Karolynne de Soto_

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Then there was the Kaiser. And if there was one thing about the Kaiser that Judai was sure about, it was that he wasn't sure about anything. The stoic Kaiser Ryo simply demanded respect. He pulled you to him, without even trying. Even after he became the Hell Kaiser and turned his back on the Cyber End Dragon, in favor of the Cyber-style tails, that aura remained. But there was something else, behind it, that only a few people had the honor of seeing. Judai had seen it. But to most of the students, from the time he had entered the academy to the time of his graduation, he was the same stoic Kaiser Ryo.

Judai had come to admire that façade. Whatever emotions he felt, he hid well, never showing any weakness, never giving his opponents anything to use against him. Except once. When one of the Seven Stars, the vampire Camula had used Sho as a pawn. Kaiser had willingly chosen an honorable end for the sake of his brother, not really knowing if one of the others could save him. In one duel, he had shown more emotion than in his entire dueling lifetime. There were also those times he would meet Asuka on the docks, but then again, those weren't duels.

However, he always showed passion. Never emotion, but always passion. You just had to look for it. It had been there against Edo Phoenix, but that time in had mostly come from the shock of defeat. It was there against Inukai, the underground duelist, but then it had been dark, terrible, and evil passion. When he had been fighting Fubuki, before he'd let the Darkness take control, it had been sneering. With no lack of scorn, he'd calmly explained that it was not evil that inhabited him. He wasn't filled with darkness, but with an infinite need to win. The Hell Kaiser could not comprehend failure. He'd then left his former best friend in pain of the side of a volcano. But it meant nothing to him, at least not anymore. He had to win, he lived to win. It was too late now. He couldn't stop. Not for Samejima, not even for Sho.

The need to win was there against Johan. The match was insignificant to the Kaiser, unofficial and almost entirely secret, but he fought like he would die if he lost. Then they had all been sucked into that dimension, all fighting to survive. It was there that the second duel had taken place. Only this time it wasn't the normal Johan, it was Yubel-possessing Johan. And this time it wasn't just a game, it was life or death, something Yubel knew and planned well. The Hell Kaiser had fought harder that day, because something more precious to him than his life was on the line. His immortality. And that day, he'd earned it. He'd gone down in a blaze of glory. The electric duels that were meant to cause pain only made him stronger. He held that strength even when he fell to Inotome Makoto and Sho had came to his defense. The Kaiser had handed Sho his deck, not as an act of weakness, but as an act of strength. To show he could go on without it. Judai had seen that strength personally. In their first duel, by the rocks. Their second, where they met each other as worthy opponents,eye to eye. And that third, when he fought to make Judai strong, at his own expense.

To this day, Marufuji Ryo was called many things, Hell Kaiser, the Shadow Reaper, the Black Demon, and others. But to Judai, there is only one thing he would ever be, the only one that fit.

Kaiser.

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_Some are born evil, some become evil, and some have evil thrust upon them. – Scribblers interpretation of the famous line originally by Shakespeare._


	3. Asuka

A/N: Next chapter. One of my all time favorite Yu-Gi-Oh characters.

Disclaimer: As much as I love it, I'm afraid I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

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_"The side of you success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.__The size of your success is measured by the__"_ _- Robert Koyisaki_

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She was next. And in the moments he was willing to admit it, she was a lot more. She'd always been different. Unlike the majority of female duelists at Duel Academy, she didn't care for makeup and hair and beauty pageants. She didn't want love. She wanted respect. She craved it. She wanted to be seen as a great and powerful duelist, not the simpering weakling that her beauty made some believe she was. She may have looked the part of the damsel-in-distress, but she never played it. The Kaiser would not have become friends with a first-year student, even if they were an Obelisk, for nothing.

Their first duel was a clear example of that. Though her method of getting him there had been unethical, she had done it in the name of a good duel. She was the Queen of Obelisk Blue and the Queen always got what she wanted. Judai could respect that. She was aggressive from the start, taking whatever pain was necessary to win. She had a fiery nature and would never back down from a challenge. It was no suprise that she drew Sho, Manjoume, Kaiser, and many others. Even him. She gave pain, felt pain, and took it all in stride. It was after that first duel that they had cemented their friendship. It had lasted.

When she showed love, she showed so much it encompassed you. She had stayed at her brothers bedside days on end. Even as Darkness she had recognized him, because their bond was just that close. No matter what trouble Fubuki got himself and ultimately Asuka in and what he made her do to get him or them out, they still loved each other. He'd always hated how many times she'd been used as bait for him and how much trouble he got her in. It was his fault Taitan had kidnapped her and taken her to the Abandoned Dorm. The Gravekeeper's Chief had taken her and his other friends for victims as well. Brron, the Dark World's Mad King has killed her off because of him.

But despite this, they had stood by each other in one way or another, through everything and anything. He had come to save her in the Abandoned Dorm. He watched her go under Saiou's control, and had later saved her from it. She had stood by him during the Seven Stars, and had stood by him when he was Supreme King, before he'd caused her destruction. He would always regret that.

And after that pair-duel, he had been a little stupid to act the way, but he didn't know that then. Hormones had just caught up with him a little later than they should have. Judai still wondered why Kenzan had taken a few steps back every time she'd come near him for the next few days. He would always remember those kind and gentle words, outside the Osiris Red dorms, thanking him for how he had influenced her life in the direction it took. He would always wonder what it was she had hesitated and then refused to say.

...

He hoped Asuka was happy, wherever she was.

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_"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender that is strength." - Arnold Schwarzenegger_


	4. Manjoume

A/N: Well, here's my latest chapter. Please review. I'm working really hard on this. Here's the next person. Please, please, please review. And this is NOT SLASH, it's close friendship.

Disclaimer: I really hate having to say this, but Yu-Gi-Oh DM, GX, or 5D's are not mine, and if they were, I would have had someone other than crappy 4Kids dub it. Why do you think I won't use the English names in my writing?

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_Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. - Arnold H. Glasow_

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Manjoume.

For whatever reason, whenever he thinks of Manjoume, he always lets out a little laugh. He really has no idea why. It's really just a reaction. Manjoume always was the odd one out. But then again, it was hard not to be considering he had his own Duel Spirits, just like Judai. He could connect with that. He loved those Ojama's but prolonged exposure could drive a person insane. Judai would never figure out why they bonded with the one person who kept pushing them away. He was really never sure what to expect with him. He was random. No one had foreseen the once sleazy Obelisk Blue to turn to black clothing and hooded eyes, giving up a comfy dorm for sharing a room with two Osiris Red's. You really couldn't understand Manjoume and you had to be a special person to like him. Judai did. He was blunt and to the point....sometimes too blunt. Even in that other dimension, when he knew he was about to die in chains, that hadn't stopped Manjoume from ripping Judai apart.

There were times when he would seem completely despondent and on rare occasions wise. He could also be a bit delusional, especially when it came to Asuka. Other times, he could actually be very kind and caring, but he would hit you if you said that to him. Sometimes he was alight with a bright flame, be in over a girl, a duel, his brothers, yelling at the Ojama's, fighting with Kenzan and Sho, or being annoyed with Judai…it was mostly Judai. But above all the mood he usually projected was annoyed sarcasm. It fit him. That and that arrogance and charisma so that, even when he lost the duel, the crowd would cheer for him as though he'd been the victor. He could still remember the cheer, though no one could do it as well as Manjoume.

But what really struck Judai was his will. His will to fight when he really wanted something. He fought like he had something to prove. To prove that he didn't need his brothers and he could stand up on his own. That he wasn't some rich brat, but a strong duelist, a true duelist. That even though he may no longer work beside them, he was just as good as them, maybe even better. And on those occasions that Judai had dueled him, he always seemed to burn, throwing himself in with the force of the world. Maybe is hadn't been clear in their first duel, but when he had dueled as North Academy's representative, that fire had been vibrant. And when Manjoume had finally broken free of Saiou's effect, Judai didn't know why, but he had felt pure joy as he saw that burning slowly return to Manjoume. He didn't realize how much he missed it till it was gone. That dirty black coat was a part of him.

But it was that burn had always distinguished him from those around him. It was always just…there. It was there during every one of his duels against Judai, against his brothers, the head of North Academy, against Amon, Daichi, the Dark Scorpions…

He may be remembered by most as Manjoume Thunder, but to Judai, whenever he thinks of Manjoume, he thinks of fire.

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_A child is not a vase to be filled but a fire to be lit. – Rabelais_


	5. Sho

A/N: I want to thank all my reviewers and I really love that you like the vignettes. So, here's the new one. And if you have anyone specific in mind that you want me to write on, small or big, just tell me in your review and I'll look into them. Enjoy! Tell me if I'm going out of character and how I can fix it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, GX, or 5D's and my parents won't let me fly to Japan to ask for it. Maybe I'll swim for it.

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_The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be...because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap!"__ - Mary Anne Radmacher_

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Sho had always been the quiet one. Having been overlooked in favor of his brother since he was a child, it wasn't that surprising. It was more along the lines of expected. But Sho did have a lot of potential, potential that Judai saw clearly. But no one else did. Why couldn't anyone see what was right in front of them? Marufuji Sho was a true duelist, so what was stopping him from being an excellent one?

But that was just it.

He was Marufuji Sho, not Rimura Sho, or Suzuki Sho. He was Marufuji Sho, that was that. And trying to follow up in the footsteps of the Kaiser was no easy task. All that Sho was known as was the idolized Kaiser's insignificant brother. Something that Obelisk Blue Kocho Ran hadn't failed to point out, again and again and again. He'd been discarded by everyone his entire life, starved of friendship and family. So when Judai came along, it wasn't long before he'd become Sho's aniki. And it was because of that that Judai had learned about Sho's skill, strength, intelligence…and the self-doubt that mirrored all of it.

Manjoume, Kenzan, and Judai had all tried to pull that out of him. Manjoume insulted, Kenzan yelled, and Judai did...well, he did what he always did. But really what ended up making Sho strong was Sho himself. He had always been scared of everyone leaving and being left behind and forgotten, even when there had been no one there to even forget him. But now he'd had his friends, his aniki, even his brother to a degree, and he would never let that happen. So he studied hard, going from Osiris, to Ra, to Obelisk. The students began to see him as something other that simply the Kaiser's brother. All the while, Judai had stood by watching. And while doing so, he had learned something.

About loyalty.

The loyal that had kept Sho around even after witnessing Judai's actions as Supreme King. Even after he'd been kidnapped by O'Brien, Darkness, Taitan, and Gravekeeper's Chief all because of Judai, he'd stayed. His willingness to fight to the death on the hope that if he did, he might be able to help his aniki in some way. The rivalry with the other two that considered themselves so as well. Sho depended on Judai in a lot of ways, but Judai also depended on Sho. He depended on Sho to always be standing beside him, to be ready at a moments notice, and to just be strong. Because when Sho was strong, Judai was stronger. But Sho's loyalty had not just been to Judai. There was also his brother, something that Judai had seen time and time again. Sho had been willing to give up his own life to Seven Star Camula so his brother could win; found good in him when he was Hell Kaiser and everyone had said there wasn't any left. Had put himself through immense pain to try to get it out. Judai saw Sho as a man who had stepped forward and taken that brothers place when he couldn't go on. A brother who's respect he'd earned that day.

And yes, Judai had said it. Not a boy, a man. He may not have started out that way, but thanks to the Academy, his friends, and his aniki, he'd become one. But for all his time at Duel Academy, Sho had never once realized it.

Judai wasn't sure, but maybe, all these years later, he finally had.

Maybe.

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"_All the strength and force of man comes from his faith in things unseen. He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions."__ - James Freeman Clarke_


	6. Kenzan

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! For those of you who watch the dub, the Light of Ruin is the name of the alien that was controlling Saiou. And if you watch the dub, check it out in subtitles. Just so you know, I've taken your request for the Johan Anderson one and I've already written it. But I'm just going to wait a bit longer to publish it because he comes in later. Probably after my next 2 or 3…but it'll be up.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And I've given up on the idea of trying to swim to Japan.

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_Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." __- Anais Nin_

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Everybody called him Kenzan. His real first name was Tyranno, but everybody called him Kenzan. It fit him in every sense of the word. He was young, brash, wild, and proud, and exactly as he should be. He reflected the ferocity of a dinosaur in every way. The ferocity made him more of a dinosaur than the dino-bone in his body. More than the fact that he ended every other sentence with "zaurus". Ripped jacket, dreadlocked hair, bone earrings, bone necklace, bandana, and all. He was something real and blunt, made of blood, and sweat, and bone.

From first duel onward, Kenzan had become Judai's official bodyguard. He was always there, watching out for Judai and everyone else. Like an invisible shadow, but a encompassing one. It was simply his natural tendency to give off strength. It seemed like he could stand up to anything. He could almost seeing him staring down the Egyptian Gods themselves, smirking wide with eyes bright. It was from him that Judai had learned to be strong. And the many times that Judai had been forced to look death in the eye and smile, a little of his willpower to do so had come from Kenzan. It amazed him that Kenzan was always so strong. But then again, Kenzan had always been the one to stand up for the underdog. When Judai had been so, it was that way. He had done all he could to make the other Ra Yellow's realize they were just as good as everyone else. Their initial bitterness was instead replaced by a need to show they were still true duelists, despite their placement. He wasn't even mad at Edo for all his crap, even saving him from the lava that the Light of Ruin dropped him in which would've of killed him.

The bravery he had used there had been put to the test many times, and he had always surpassed what was expected. He hadn't fallen under when the Light had tried to take control of him. Kenzan always said it was thanks to him, but Judai knew that the only thing that stopped it was Kenzan himself. He had been a crucial part of stopping the Light, letting his dinosaur DNA take control. It had come to play later, protecting him from Trueman, till that damn trick of his that had made Kenzan fall. Never mind the fact that the one he had fallen to was his very first friend at Duel Academy. He hadn't even made a sound when he'd been sacrificed by Brron because of Judai. He'd thought he was going to die, and had gone down with quiet dignity, befitting him. In Domino, Yugi's hometown (Judai couldn't help mentioning that), he and Sho had fought side by side. They'd lost, but they hadn't gone down without a fight. And to Kenzan, that was more important that winning. Judai remembered that awkward time when he tried to practically eat Jim when his dino-blood took control. Yeah, that brought up memories.

Tyranno Kenzan had simply always been there, for Rei, for Asuka, Manjoume, even Sho, despite their constant arguments. Kenzan was always just there. Even now. Maybe not in form, but Judai knew that no matter what, he'd always be there, watching and protecting all of them. Even Sho.

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_The dinosaur's eloquent lesson is that if some bigness is good, an overabundance of bigness is not necessarily better.__ - __Eric Johnston_


	7. Johan

A/N: New chapter!!!! Enjoy!!!! And please review. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. I really appreciate your commentary. I decided to publish this one early for you. Also, if you have any good plot ideas for other characters or stories, be sure to tell me. I need them, because I'm stuck.

Disclaimer: It's torture to have to keep repeating this but, I still do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. The genius behind it is Kazuki Takahashi.

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_Happiness is like jam - you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself. – Unknown_

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There really isn't any specific reason as to why, but as soon as Judai met Johan, something just clicked. Something just fell into Judai's gut and never left it. Ever. Maybe, like Manjoume, it was because of the duel spirits only they could see. After all it was nice to see someone who liked having his duel spirit, just liked Judai liked having _Winged Kuriboh. _Johan really did love _Ruby._ Maybe it was their personalities. They both loved dueling, their friends, games, trouble, being lazy. They were so alike that all their friends did say they were twins. But there was one thing. One thing that made them two different people.

It was his hope.

Judai had that once. But he lost it, coming face to face with the realities of the world. But Johan had too and that never seemed to stop him. Through everything, that hope had stayed. He wouldn't have been Johan without it. Even the Kaiser had admitted that he was the only one other than Judai who he had gotten a real thrill out of dueling. Maybe that was why the Jewel Beasts had picked him as their master. In their first duel, he'd taken hit after hit, and still smiled. He wasn't insulting of Judai's Neo-Spacians, he was fascinated by them. Just as much as Judai was of his Jewel Beasts. He had clearly loved them, and they had clearly loved him. When Giese Hunt had taken his Pegasus, the look in his eye had clearly said he would go to the end of the world to get his back. Even at a near loss, he was still hopeful. Something that never left him was hope.

Except once.

The second that Judai had realized that it had been Johan who was standing before that gate, he'd broken. It turned out that even Johan was suspectible to the horrors of reality. He hadn't looked anything like himself. He looked dark, horrifying, dangerous, evil and… _not Johan._ Without him, everything that Johan represented would be gone and Judai couldn't let that or him die. Judai couldn't let that part of him die, the only part of Judai that was left like that. And Johan was a part of Judai. A very large part. He was the one that had brought Johan into this, and he was the one who would bring him out. It was funny that that had been Judai's purpose of coming back to that dimension all along, to bring him back. It was funny that Judai hadn't really realized it till then.

And months later, when that was all said and done, he really should have figured out sooner that it was Johan he'd been fighting in front of the Kaiba Corp. building, not Trueman. After all, the Jewel Beasts wouldn't listen to anyone else. He'd seen that. And after all that Judai had gone through just then, it was good to see a friend again. As he helped Judai up, he had smiled. Judai had missed that smile. He still did now. When did he not smile? Judai really did wonder. He had come to think that being happy was just a natural part of him. Maybe that was why. Johan symbolized everything that Judai had once been. Before he had let the world sink in on him.

So they had become best friends, almost like brothers. And for the rest of his life Judai would remember him, and wish he had stayed the way Johan had.

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_" A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away."__- Arabian Proverb_


	8. Edo

Alright then!! Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. I worked really hard and sorry about not updating lately. Thanks for all the reviews for the last, and like I said last time, if you have any character you want me to put up sooner, just tell me and I'll start on them. Be character big or small. Well, Enjoy. Please, please, please review. Every single one makes me smile.

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_"Anyone can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy." – Aristotle_

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There was no way to describe Edo, because their really wasn't one him. There were so many complex sides to him, each one a different person. He could be polite and well-mannered, pessimistic and stubborn, quiet and withdrawn, and on the rare occasions he chose to show it, wise. There was a reason why he had 2 PhDs and was a pro-athlete. Pegasus himself considered him the worlds 4th best duelist. And Judai loved anyone who loved dueling. But most of the time, he was cocky and arrogant…pretty much always. But there was another side, a deeper one, which only came out when he wanted something. When he really, really, really, wanted something...

When he and Amon had dueled, over Ecko, he'd taken a huge gamble and he'd lost. No one could stand up to the might of Exodia. Not even Edo, for all his sudden bravery. Dueling Amon had been a rash and reckless decision… so like him. He'd wanted to win when he'd found alongside Hell Kaiser, the same man he's earlier defeated. The friendship between the two was completely unlikely, but worked so well. He especially wanted to win when he'd fought to save his friend and mentor, Saiou, from the Light of Ruin. Fighting when it seemed almost impossible to win. Even more so than when he'd found Judai in their first and second duels, but there was something. Something that had come out of his shell. But Judai knew that it wasn't because of him. He figured that out. Edo didn't fight for himself, he fought for his father, to discover the truth behind his death and the card his created, the only way he knew how. He fought to make Saiou happy, to make him proud. He believed it was his destiny.

Years later, what Judai most remembered about Edo was his dedication. He was dedicated to becoming a pro-league duelist, so he could try and stop crime. In it's own strange way, Edo had put dedication into trying to train and bring forward Manjoume. He had been dedicated to his goal of paying back Judai, even though all Judai had done was lend a helping hand. But it was one that Edo had needed. His dedication to his father, Saiou, DD, and his Destiny Heroes. Unfortunately, his loyalty to DD and Saiou had often resulted in his exploitation. His love of them had let to his constant abuse. But through all, his Destiny Heroes had stayed. He depended on them and they always came through. Maybe that was why he was so damn arrogant. He fought hard with them, because they were everything. They supported each other to the very end. They were all the friends he'd never had. In Edo's mind, Judai and his friends could never take their place. And that was fine. Judai knew he'd never abandoned them and they would never abandon him. They were in it for better or worse.

And that was just fine.

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_Take no revenge that you have not pondered beneath a starry sky, or on a canyon overlook, or to the lapping of waves and the mewing of a distant gull. ~Robert Brault_


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